1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing method, an information processing program, and an information processing apparatus, which are applied to a network to which a computer and a printer, i.e. an information processing apparatus, both having a server function or a client function, are connected.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, image editing services have been provided where downloaded images are further subjected to image editing and then printed. These downloaded images, which are downloaded to information terminals, are images made public or registered on the Internet or an intranet, or digital images that a user has taken and then uploaded onto a web (the World Wide Web) (web).
The information terminals which use such image editing services not only use applications already provided in these information terminals, but access a server that has a variety of services including image editing services and image management services, to receive desired services from the server, to thereby provide a variety of versatile image editing services for the users (refer to Japanese Laid-Open Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-109248, for example).
Also, it is expected that these image editing services will increasingly gain popularity in the future.
However, when the above information terminals access a desired server (hereinafter referred to as “the target server”) to receive and use such an image editing service from the target server, if the target server is undergoing system failure or maintenance, the image editing service cannot be used, which can cause stress on the user.
To eliminate this inconvenience, it can be envisaged that when the target server is undergoing system failure or maintenance, another server that can be used as a substitute of the target server is searched to use the same. However, if a search for another server is carried out each time the target server is undergoing system failure or maintenance, it will take a long time period until the image editing service can be used, and hence the user will feel greater stress each time this search is carried out.